[Photo blog] 12 moments from 2012

World Vision staff around the globe shot more than 10,000 photos this year. Working in nearly 100 countries, they documented the year’s most urgent humanitarian emergencies as well as moments of inner strength and joy. Here are 12 memorable photos from 2012.

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A woman in Maia, northeast of Bucharest, stood in her kitchen where there were no panes in the windows. The Health Ministry of Romania says 74 people died from hypothermia when the extreme cold weather hit in late January 2012. World Vision distributed food, blankets, and shoes to 1,500 individuals, many of them children or elderly people in its service area (Daniela Gheorghe/World Vision).

In Mauritania and across West Africa, animals suffered as food became scarce. More than 18 million people in the region were affected by food shortages and drought. World Vision provided nearly 1 million people in Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, and Chad with emergency food aid, food vouchers, cash, and nutritional training (Adel Sarkozi/World Vision).

A high school student in the Solomon Islands enjoyed new water. Before World Vision installed a clean water facility, students had to walk to the river for drinking water (Christina Muge/World Vision).

People carried relief supplies through flooded roads in India. Officials described the flooding as the worst in the state of Assam since 1998. More than 120 people died and 6 million were displaced. World Vision distributed shelter materials, kitchen utensils, bed nets, and bedding (Theodore Sam/World Vision).

In malaria-prone Mozambique, 8-year-old Delfina and friends jump rope outside her home. World Vision provided bed nets and training on how to use them to prevent malaria. "I used to be afraid of mosquitos," she said. "I am no longer afraid because I have the net." (Jon Warren/WorldVision).

A girl returned to a damaged school in Gaza after the recent violence and attacks. World Vision established 13 Child-Friendly Spaces to provide a safe environment where children can learn, play, and receive counseling to recover from emotional distress (Sameeha Elwan/World Vision).

Youth in World Vision’s Street Children Transformation Project found a moment of levity. The project provided children living on the streets of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, with food, clean clothes, first aid, short-term housing, and educational opportunities (Albert Yu/World Vision).

For 10 years, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gael Kyanda walked on his knees. “Limping in the mud after rains here is always tough for me going to school in the morning,” he said. Gael now goes to class in a wheelchair donated through a World Vision program (Alain Mwaku/World Vision).

Many children, including 10-year-old Shahana (in blue) were forced to suspend their education after fighting erupted as the military flushed out Taliban militants in Pakistan. Classes continued while World Vision rebuilt their school along with 19 other schools damaged in the conflict(Muhammad Ali/World Vision).

Five-year-old Junior Gonzalez cried after seeing storm damage to his home and belongings in New York. Superstorm Sandy destroyed his book bag and schoolwork. The family lost all its food in the flooding. World Vision’s assessment team gave them family food kits; each kit provided enough staples to feed five for a day (Laura Reinhardt/World Vision).

A girl from Khantati, Bolivia, smiled as she peeped out of her mother’s aguayo, a multicolored woolen cloth worn in the Andes region (Reyna Baptista/World Vision).

2012 is coming to a close- be sure to donate by 12pm EST tonight for year end tax breaks. Give where most needed. Millions are suffering in the midst of war, famine, poverty, and neglect, and it can be hard to decide exactly where your money can do the most good. That’s why a general donation to World Vision is a great choice. Your gift will enable us to respond quickly in areas of greatest need, to help the world’s most vulnerable children and families.